An Interview with B. “Shep” Shepherd
by Ms Bob and Carol Kleinmaier
Used with Permission from LadyLike Magazine
After decades of reading gender community magazines I had a realization. We’re talking to ourselves! We interview each other, gossip about each other and report on our leaders, their successes and fights. In this FLASH BACK we’re trying to broaden the focus by talking to someone outside of the community, while very much a part of it. For over 20 years Berisford “Shep” Shepherd was a musician at Finocchio’s, America’s oldest female impersonator showroom.
When we visited him at the home he calls “Pearl’s Palace,” in honor of his wife, now deceased, he was charming, easy going and delightful. He presented us with copies of two recording he had performed on, gospel recordings by Brook Benton and Patti Page, which have just come out on CD. But the most endearing part of the morning was Shep’s question when he opened the door, “How do you like your eggs?” The sausages were in the warmer and the pancakes on the griddle. Shep was the soul of hospitality and his hospitality had real soul. After breakfast we setteled down to hear about his years at Finocchio’s.
Click for Large Photo of Finocchio's in early '90s |
(Ms Bob) B: When did you start playing at Finocchio’s?
(Shep Shepherd) S: Oh, gosh, I should have made a note of it, but you do the math. Three years ago in 1995 they stopped having live music. Prior to that I had put in 23 years.
B: How many musicians in the group?
S: It was a trio; piano, drums and tenor sax. Bill Bullard, the fabulous piano player and leader, wrote those production numbers. He wrote as though it was for Radio City Music Hall with the changes in tempo, key changes and what-not. Mood, modes and all that sort of thing. And all along there was Ed Gorman on tenor saxophone. We were doing five and six days a week.
B: Was it a (Musician’s) Union gig?
S: Oh, definitely. That’s what made my social security and stuff come out very nicely. It was a fully legit affair.
B: Who was the clientele?
S: The majority were tourists. Finocchio’s was on the tour bus route. They had those Gray Line Busses lined up in front of the place at that time, you know. There were some locals who came on a regular basis, too.
(Carol Kleinmaier) C: Did any cross dressers attend?
S: Rarely, but I’ve seen it. I’ve heard of it happening and there was no problem, because everybody behaved.
B: Who ran Finocchio’s?
S: Joseph Finocchio was the owner and operator. He was assisted by his wife. It was a family run affair. Yes, it was very nice that way. Even today the Finocchios annually invite me to their Christmas party. Private, no big thing, just family. And, now that I’m concentrating on trombone, I take my horn along and play carols for the children.
Eric, the oldest grandson, is now the manager of the club. But it was Mr. Joe who operated the place then. It was all table seating, a theatrical state of affairs. So, there was no hanging out. It was show time. And when the show was over the house cleared out and in came a new set.
B: Harvey Lee described the material he did there as “risqué.”
S: Yea, double meanings. Double meanings. This kind of stuff Finocchio’s approved of, rather than straight out smut. And it worked out beautifully. The audience was fully entertained and there was stuff there for adults to appreciate. I mean, folks that wanted to get a little earthy. (laughs)
When I think of the Finocchio experience, the whole thing is exceptional to me. Not just because of what it did for Pearl and I, but being that much a part of it, especially compared to what a lot of other people believed about the Finocchio’s scene. Pearl and I would attend annual staff party and have a grand time. They showed us a good time and showed that they really cared about how we treated their establishment and went along with their requirements.
B: And the performers would bring their wives to the party?
S: They brought their mates, however it went. However it went, and they were ladies and gentlemen all the way. A few of them had, you know, mutual mates and they lived a good life. Darn good life, because it reflected in their demeanor. The particular thing I liked about it was nobody infringed on anybody else’s lifestyle. You know what I’m saying? Nothing but respect and love.
C: You started to say that some people had negative assumptions about Finocchio’s?
S: I didn’t say negative. I just said various. Some were way out in left field because they didn’t know what the Finocchios asked for. Such as: “don’t ever leave there in drag,” “don’t come out on the floor in costume.” From 9 until, whatever it was, 12, 12:30, 1 o’clock, they were performers. After that they were on their own. And there was no bar. There was waitress & waiter service. A lot of people thought it was just another gay club, where people go and pick each other up. But that didn’t happen there.
B: Did the performers have their own musical arrangements?
S: Most of them, especially people like Laverne Cummings and the real big-time headliners. I got to know and appreciate Laverne as a very fine artist. Laverne, few people know, had a steady day job at one of the big department stores downtown, either Macy’s or Emporium. But what I’m saying now, besides being a sales person, and I even heard a buyer; he was also a model, a male model. He had the finest attitude toward life in general. A nice guy and a fabulous performer. If you just heard his voice, and didn’t look, you wouldn’t have believed it was coming from a man, until at the end of it he would say, “Thank-you.” (Shep switches to a very deep voice, then laughs.) Shake them up, you know. And he was a perfectionist, that I know about him musically.
But so many of them were artists, so damn good as far as presentation and everything. There was this one little Filipino boy, Florencio De Los Santos, a beautiful little rascal. He had the prettiest appearance and sang gorgeously, like a girl. But, so many of the guys were in and out so fast I didn’t get to know them.
C: Why didn’t they stay longer?
S: Mmmm, well, one reason or another. One of the performers reached what he was after and moved to Phoenix and became a landlord. Isn’t that marvelous? Some of them went to other shows, like Beach Blanket Babylon. Better offers and all that kind of stuff. There was Lori Shannon who was in an episode of the Archie Bunker show. Made some fame. The joke was that Archie Bunker didn’t know and kissed him good-bye or something like that. They had one woman in the show. A real woman.
B: A real woman? The Jewel Box Revue had a woman who performed as a man.
S: This is a woman who performed as a woman. Sofia Patrikis. Greek. She sang. Occasionally she was mistress of ceremonies, subbed for Carroll Wallace. Carroll Wallace was the master of ceremonies there for a long time. Lived here in town, out in the Avenues with his wife Ruth. Carroll Wallace was a busy, fine looking guy. Fine looking guy. With an attaché every time he moved around. (laughs) He might have his make-up in there, but it’s an attaché, nevertheless.
B: Were any of the other performers married?
S: A lot of them were very delicate in their way, but they had wives. I’m speaking of one particular couple, Jean and Rene. I recall their names because we loved them. Jean was one of the waitresses. And her husband, Rene DiCarlo, presented a Latin repertory. A real professional, he could do three different shows and do three different acts! Terrific dancer, Rene was one of the stars. Outside he was Mr. DiCarlo with his wife Jeannie. They had a lovely home. Pearl and I visited and found out about guacamole and all that good stuff, man. (laughs)
And there were other people. Frankie. What was Frankie’s last name? Rodriguez. It’s coming back. For 81 I’m doing pretty good, huh. (laughs) Frankie Rodriguez was a fabulous dancer. Lead dancer. You might call him a soubrette. He looked like some movie actress. There’s something about him, a grand woman look. Had a lovely home with a fellow in the East Bay. I met a daughter of his from Mexico. I think she was going to Stanford University when I met her. That’s what he’s dancing for.
B: To put his daughter through Stanford?
S: All that kind of stuff. You know what I’m saying. Most people there were working for a purpose. That was the beauty of these artists.
And with a laugh of respect Shep summed up his reflections of over twenty years behind the drum set at Finocchio’s. The on-stage performers came and went: Laverne Cummings, Frankie Rodriguez, Lori Shannon, Rene DiCarlo, Carroll Wallace, married heterosexual performers carrying attaché cases and gay performers putting their kids through college. But the union musicians were there for decades. They became almost part of the Finocchio family and Finocchio’s was and is a family run busniess. At Finocchio’s a cross section of America saw a cross section of female impersonators. And, for many in the audience, one trip to Finocchio’s was all they knew about our gender community.

Ms Bob is always interested in writing to other collectors and comparing collections, trading, buying or selling. Several times a year she distributes a list of items she has available. A new list is due out within a month. Please, drop her a line if you'd like to receive this list. Ms Bob can be reached at <msbob@tgforum.com>.
CAROL KLEINMAIER is a founding member of Transgendered Nation. For over a decade she has been an activist for both gender and AIDS issues.
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